Page 47 of Flynn

“Yes.” he bit out. “He came after you, which does not sit well with me.”

“You were friends with this man,” her lips curled in disgust. “You formed a gang with him-”

“I am not going to make any excuses for my past.” He told her heatedly, amber eyes flashing. “I made some mistakes, acknowledged them, and have since moved on. He was a friend who needed me at the time because of the situation at his home.

I offered my friendship, and we were important to each other for a time. I am no longer associated with him, and what he has become is abhorrent to me. I would rather you not judge me for what I did as a child.”

She stared at him for a minute before rising.

“Where are you going?”

“To pee, if that’s okay with you. Or should I consult you before doing so?”

“There is no need for that attitude.”

She sent him a look that could have pulverized rocks before marching into the bathroom and slamming the door shut behind her.

He sat there for a minute, his body tensed, and he wondered if she would continue being difficult about the entire thing. He was ashamed of that part of his life and rarely spoke about it. But she had to know. She might think they were not in a relationship, but he knew better.

Chapter 11

He was undressed and waiting for her in bed.

Propping her hands on her hips, she gave him a blistering stare. “If you think you can just drop that bombshell on me, and we just ignore it and have sex, think again.”

“Sex is the last thing on my mind.” He lied.

Her eyes narrowed as she continued to stare at him.

“Are you coming to bed?”

“I think I should sleep in another room.”

“Ryleigh.” Her name came out as a sigh. “Please.”

“You were friends with the man who tried to kill me.”

“And if I could go back and change that, I might.”

“Might?”

“Probably. Possibly.” he sighed again. “Look, I am not accustomed to explaining myself to anyone.”

“Tough.” She unwittingly moved over to sit on the edge of the bed. “I am unsure what I should do with that information.”

“Whatever you wish.” He took her hand in his. “I made us a target-” His fingers gripped hers. “Ever since I decided to leave the gang and end the friendship with Daley, he has been, shall we say?

Displeased. He had this thing inside his head that I rejected him like his old man did. It did not bother him much when I was a nobody, but he contacted me when I started making money and appearing in magazines.” A frown touched his brow. “He called the office and demanded to be put through.

He claimed he was an old friend, and I would not mind speaking to him. I reluctantly told my assistant to put him through. I wanted nothing to do with him.”

He shrugged. “We spoke about old times, and he wanted to meet. I brushed him off, of course, and that did not sit well with him. He started accusing me of behaving like I was better than he was and warned me to remember where I came from.

I hung up and instructed my assistant not to put through any more calls from him.” He took a deep breath and stared at their linked fingers.

“I ran into him at a charity benefit my mother hosted, and he insisted on talking. He apologized for his behavior and wanted us to be friends again. Then he started hinting at some business deals we could do together.

‘We can make much money between us," he said. I told him I already had money and I don’t do business with unsavory characters.

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